Forbidden Waters
by Lady Elena Dawson
Summary: Rose is a mermaid who dreams of singing and dancing in the world above. However, when she saves a prince from a grisly death, she realizes she would give up anything to be with him - even if it means her ability to speak. Based off of "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know I took this down a while ago, but it's back and better than ever! I didn't like how it had started, so I went back and edited it. I hope you enjoy!**

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_**Forbidden Waters**_

_**By Lady Elena Dawson**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Titanic _(1997) or _The Little Mermaid _by Hans Christian Andersen.**

Deep down in the ocean depths, where the sea life is scarce, there lies a large coral castle covered with entwining, colorful plants and kelp. Like Atlantis itself, it sits on the ocean floor, stuck in the sand for eternity. Very few fish swim by, though plant life is plentiful. So, then, what kinds of creatures live in such a place?

You've heard the legends of the merfolk, yet no one believes they exist. What if I told you they were wrong, and that the creatures living in this castle happen to be beautiful mermaids and handsome mermen? And that the sea god, Triton, really was existent—and alive in the flesh?

This is the story of the youngest of Triton's daughters, by the name of Rose. She got her name from her dark red mane of curls, which was so long that it reached to her waist. Her tail was a gleaming assemblage of sapphire-blue scales, her fins a pure dark purple. Her eyes were a startling set of emerald green; and her lips, a soft pink.

Aside from her appearance, Rose was quite different from her many sisters. She, unlike the other, longed to visit the world above, the land where the humans walked. Walk... She wished to know of the word, something she defined as "the swimming humans do." Yet, humans don't swim... They _do _walk, on two limbs called legs. But what was Rose to know that?

"Legs," she had laughed when her eldest sister, Marina, told her of the humans. "What are they, two tails?" And she pictured this in her head, and burst into a fit of giggles. "That's ridiculous!"

"Don't be silly, Rosie," Marina had told her youngest sister, who was ten at the time. "Legs are quite different from our tails. They are, and I've seen this with my own eyes, two long…branches covered in tough skin, unlike our scales." She sputtered as she talked, trying to grasp reality. "And they have these things known as feet attached to the end, which have five objects called toes on each foot! Can you picture that, Rosie? And nails form on these toes as well, just like our fingers!"

Rose had studied her fingers the rest of the day, trying to picture what her sister had told her.

From that point on years passed, and the protagonist was a grown-up, seventeen-year-old mermaid. In that time she had heard more of the humans—the people above—and it had become an aspiration to walk with legs on the beach shore, in the company of a man, and dance the night away.

Oh, yes, dancing! How much Rose wished to do that. One of her older sisters, Cordelia, had explained dancing to her, how it was like a series of rapid motions and doing weird moves with your feet. "Like this!" she had exclaimed, and taken Rose's arms and spun her around until the two stopped, feeling dizzy, and laughed giddily. "That was fun!" Rose exclaimed, taking her sister's hands again. A mischievous glint flickered in her eyes. "Let's do it again!"

These were Rose's dreams, to walk with the humans and dance to her heart's content. However…there were rules to being a young mermaid, and they deprived Rose of her ambitions.

One, no mermaid or merman is allowed to visit the world above unless they are of eighteen years of age.

Two, a merperson of age can only visit the world above once by catching a glimpse at the surface.

Three, a merperson at the surface cannot venture near the shore, due to being caught and used for research.

Rose knew that last rule too well. It was last year that her friend had ventured to the world above, the sun shining in her eyes as she swam, and got swept up by a fishing net. After that, Rose had never seen her again. The memory made her shiver.

Yet, she still wanted to go there and see it. So she spent her days waiting for her eighteenth year, and the time when her dreams would come true.

During her spare time, she would explore the sea and come across human objects, wonderful, strange things she didn't even know how to describe. She would take these items and display them in her secret cavern, a large mound of rock and plant that was hallowed out into a well-hidden cave. As the years progressed, the rocky shelves started filling up, sparkling objects or dull items reflecting off the sunlight that reached the deep depths of the ocean waters.

And it was in this very place that our story finally begins.

…

"Oh, Fin, what do you think this is?" Rose asked her boisterous dolphin friend, holding up a shiny object we know as a hand mirror. It was the middle of the day and Rose woke up with a feeling deep in her gut that ached for her impossible dreams, so she decided to take a swim around the area and find some lost items.

Fin studied his appearance in the reflecting glass, bonking his nose on the broken surface. "Gee, I don't know, Rose. Seems like glass to me." And he touched the cold metal with his muzzle, causing it to drop out of Rose's hand and float to the sandy bottom.

Rose, instantly picking up the object and placing it in her seaweed bag, pulled out yet another shiny item. "And what about this, Fin? What do you think?" She shoved the utensil, known as a fork, in front of Fin's face.

He stared at it for a long time before saying, "It looks like a metal stick with thorns at the end."

"Oh… All right," Rose said, and she let it drop from her hand and land next to the mirror. Digging into her bag again, she pulled out a sparkling gem. "I know what this is, but what is it used for?" The emerald was attached to a golden ring, and Rose studied it in the palm of her hand, puzzled.

Fin thought carefully about its use. "It looks slim enough to fit on your finger. Here, slide it on." And with his nose he pushed it out of her hand, and she caught it between her fingers, and then slid it on—and it fit so perfectly. She studied it, the green gem catching the light of the sun up above, and gasped. "Oh, wow… It's gorgeous!"

Her dolphin friend nodded, agreeing with her. "Well, that's it for today." He picked the hand mirror up with his mouth and mumbled, "This will be called a glass reflector." Then he nudged the fork. "And this will be known as a thorny utensil. Very professionally thought out, may I add."

Rose smiled at her friend's comment—and the ring on her finger. "Truly," she laughed, adjusting the ring. "And I will name this an emerald hoop." She slid it off her hand and put it next to her many other sparkly objects. Fin put the mirror and fork in their proper places, bid Rose goodbye, and swam out of the cavern.

The young mermaid sighed contently. The day was a good time for the wishful girl. Grabbing her hairbrush, she sat on a ledge and began to comb through her long mane of red curls. As she did so, she opened her pretty pink lips and started to sing.

Mermaids are known for their singing, but Rose's was the most beautiful in the merpeople lands. She had participated in many musical concerts at the start of the new year, when the moon was shadowed in complete darkness, save for a ring of white light.

Singing, you could say, was a passion of hers. And like all the other words that came to her mind and swam out of her throat, they all were about the world above.

She started off slowly with a melody about her dreams—then climaxed into a bright, passionate tune about what the other world had to offer. By the time she was finished with the ballad, all her aspirations coming back to hit her in the face, she felt her eyes droop with tears.

Sighing sadly, she put down her brush and flicked her tail, propelling herself out of the small opening of the cave at the top. She couldn't help but swim back home and feel, well…like a nuisance.

...

That night, Rose decided to swim out to colder and darker waters. Mermaids, unlike us, had the ability to stay refreshed even in the coldest or hottest of waters. Their bodies only reacted deathly when out of the drastic need for survival, shriveling up from rapid dehydration.

Slipping out of her bedroom in the castle, Rose began to swim quickly through the black ocean. It was a moonless night, yet the stars reflected off the waves, giving Rose a clear, navy blue path of the large world in front of her.

She had no idea what she was doing—until she looked above and stopped still in her track.

She was alone. No one was there to tell her what to do. Seeing the stars twinkling above, she broke her gaze with the starlight and took a long look around her. Sucking in her bottom lip, she dashed to the surface without thinking of the consequences, ready to do what she always dreamed of doing.

Rose felt her body splash out of the water, and she made an arc through the air, seeing her world below her for once in her life. She was far from land, so she saw nothing but the calm sea. Giggling, adrenaline rushing through her head, she raised her arms and felt the breeze against her face. She then moved her hands in front of her, ready to dive back into the place that had for so long trapped her.

The air was cold that night, but not as frigid as the water. When she hit the still waves, she felt the biting iciness against her skin for the first time. Shivering, she suddenly felt afraid. Gulping the bad feeling in her throat, she continued to swim forward without any other distractions.

That's when her blood went cold. Through her sensitive ears she could hear the screams of frightened creatures, and with her tough eyes she could see the splashes of humans near the brink of death. Realizing all these innocents could die from the cold, she gasped in horror and made her tail rapidly move up and down, propelling against the motionless water. It was strange how hard it was to swim through, as though it was thick with Hade's soul.

Diving deep so the people falling into the sea could not see her, she took in the scene in front of her. Her soft eyes widened in fright. Inching back, she almost ran into the sinking section of a grand ship, dipping deeper under the waves. She let her hand travel against the bitter iron, a chill moving up her arm. Apprehending the seriousness of the situation, she made her way closer to the people splashing frantically above.

The closer she got, the closer she came to meeting a human. Her breathing became irregular in her throat, and she knew she had to save at least one of them. She refused to let the excitement of a land creature take her mind off the seriousness at hand. Opening her dry lips, she began to sing a slow, melancholy tune, hoping it would calm the blameless awaiting their death. She closed her green eyes and began to let herself drop backwards and downwards, her hair flowing in front of her.

Suddenly, her eyes were forced open when she rammed into a body right behind her, and she clasped a hand against her mouth to prevent a scream. Spinning around, she found herself face-to-face with a drowning, unconscious young man.

The breath caught in her throat, and her hand moved away as though made of rubber from her mouth. _He's… _Rose didn't know how to describe him. _He's...gorgeous_. She pushed the dirty-blond hair from his face and studied the man in front of her. His lips and skin were a slight blue, and a large bump was forming on his forehead. Her eyes traveled down and—oh!—to her delight she saw the legs her sisters had told her so much about.

It was also during her round eyes of wonderment that the logic of humans not able to breath under the water smacked her in the face. Knowing she had to save him, she took him in her arms and began to swim away from the hectic waters. She knew the situation was clear: a ship was sinking, and the many passengers and crew had nowhere to go but the sea. Rose had no inkling about lifeboats in her short life, but only that ships crossed the ocean many times a day, and that it was possible for them to sink if colliding with something in its path.

Rose swam, the heavy weight on her shoulders slowing her down. When she thought she was a good distance away from the commotion, she broke the surface and made sure his head was out of the water. And she swam again.

She pumped her tail and swam and swam until light began to peak out through the horizon, and by that point she was still swimming. It was near sunrise when she found a sandy shore ahead of her, and used the last of her strength to rest him on the cool sand absorbing the daylight.

Exhausted, all the feeling in Rose's body left her, and her mind went numb as she fell into a well-needed sleep, her consciousness leaving her behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose's eyes slowly twitched open an hour later, throat parched. Shakily, she lifted her body up and started to swipe the sand off her shriveled skin. She felt the strange sensation of the water lapping at her tail; she could feel each miniscule scale soak up all the salt water it could and pump it through her dehydrated body, but it was too little—Rose was weak. She could barely open her eyes all the way!

Taking a cup full of sea water in her hands, she slurped it down and decided to take a splash. As she did so, memories of last night started to flash before her as images in her mind. Then she remembered the young man, knocked out cold, drowning in front of her that frigid night, and her pupils shrunk in sudden realization.

Swimming frantically back to shore, she pulled herself back on to the sand, struggling since she had no feet. Her hands scraped against the dry sediments, and she could feel her skin tingle from the heat of the sun. Putting her head to his heart, her sensitive ears picked up a slight beat.

Concern washing over her like the wave over her tail, she put her lips back on his and held it for a few seconds. When she finally lifted her head, the young man choked up water, and his breathing and heart rate went back to normal. Sighing with relief, Rose studied his gorgeous features, her own heart pounding in unison with his.

Brushing aside a clump of hair, her fingers touched his skin, and she saw that he was shivering even with the warmth of the sun. Oh, how she wished she was one of them! Closing her eyes, she let a tear slip and fall on to his cheek; it crystalized and sent a pulse of energy throughout the young man's body. His shivering stopped, and his head fell on to its side without another twitching motion, as though he was in a deep, concentrated sleep.

Rose wanted him to wake up, to learn his name and what had happened. But she knew that that was not possible, for she was a creature of the sea, and he was not. She'd already broken enough rules for a lifetime, and she needn't break anymore by having an affair with a human. Looking away from his attractive features, she scanned the shore for a sign of life, someone to take him away and protect him before he died out here in the burning sun, surprising for how cold the water was.

When she saw that the beach was clearly empty, she opened her mouth and sent out a sweet sound that was sure to catch someone's attention. She then turned back to the young man in her care, gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek, and pulled herself back into the ocean. It was hard to leave it all behind, the tingling sensations of an adventure prickling at her skin. But she couldn't stay, and as much as she knew that, she didn't want to leave, either. Instead, she lingered there further and hid behind a rock, waiting for someone to arrive—just to make sure he would be safe.

That's when she saw a man approaching the unconscious victim laying wet and cold on the sandy shore. Rose watched closely, trying to pick up a noise, and her eyes closed in on her survivor, who was slowly waking up. He weakly pushed himself into an upright position and rubbed his head. "Where am I?" he mumbled, and the man she had seen walking towards him broke into a concerned canter.

"Sir, are you all right?" he asked worriedly, putting a hand on his shoulder to acknowledge his presence.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." The youth shrugged him off. "How did I get here?"

Concerned, the man asked, "What do you mean?"

"The _Titanic_... It was sinking, and all I remember is jumping off and hitting my head, and now I'm...here."

The older male looked confused, as though he was wondering the same exact thing. The warnings they had been receiving of the _Titanic _were fuzzy; for all everyone knew, it could all just be some hoax. "What's your name, son?"

"Jack Dawson." He rubbed his head some more, a headache swarming through him. His lungs burned like they were on fire, and his whole body was stiff as though it was paralyzed. In a few minutes, all the strange sensations would be gone, and the mermaid's magic would settle in. Memories came rushing through his pounding brain, and he groaned. "Heir to the throne. Prince of England. That is, I was raised in America... My father thought it was the best for my education."

A prince! Rose's eyes widened. She had just saved and kissed a _prince_! She put her fingers to her lips and smiled to herself.

"Oh, dear Lord! Hold my hand, son, yes, that's it. Let's pull you up and take you home. Your mother's waiting for you at New York Harbor. My name is Richard, but you can call be Rick."

Jack took Rick's hand and shook it, his body suddenly feeling refreshed and not so fatigued. "Nice to meet you, Rick."

"Same to you, your highness. Now, may I ask how you got here?" They began to slowly walk down the beach, away from Rose. She strained her ears.

"Uh... No. The _Titanic_ was so far away from New York, it seems practically impossible... But I heard a woman's voice... So sweet, so fair it was."

Rick's eyes lit up. "That's what brought me here! I was walking down the sidewalk near the pier when I heard this woman singing from the beach. I went to see who this fair damsel could be, and I found you. And a good thing, too."

Jack's expression was quizzical. "Where could she have gone...?" And he looked back around, directly at Rose.

But he didn't see her. Rose had disappeared beneath the waves, knowing her handsome prince would be safe. She had cried silently to herself, a pitiful cry, for she knew she could not love him. He was a human, and she was just…not. That was what she kept telling herself as she let the melancholy seep in. Swimming back to her home near the middle of the Atlantic, she bit her lip to prevent her precious tears from spilling.

...

Rose arrived feeling absolutely exhausted. She ignored her sisters' questions and headed straight to bed, where she plopped down on a bed of kelp and soft sand. Once she closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.

She dreamed of her prince, Prince Jack Dawson of England. He had spotted her in the ocean and invited her to his American home, but she had denied. He then convinced her to at least come to the shore so he could thank her properly. She had squirmed on to dry land, where he had looked at her in disbelief and disgust. He then summoned a servant, who had shot her with a strange machine known as a gun, hungry for money.

Rose's eyes shot open, her eyes aching. She knew she must be crying, but because she was under water she had no way of telling. Besides the heat on her cheeks, that is.

She decided to swim back to New York and see if her prince was miraculously waiting for her. Her heart had held something it never held before, something she could not define just yet.

Poking her head out of the surface, she blinked rapidly until her eyes adjusted to the darkness and moonlight. She saw a large rock up ahead, so she jumped on to it and crawled up using the sticky pads on her fingers; using her tail would create too much of a water disturbance. She then propped herself up, put her chin in her hands, and watched the waves lap at the shore a safe distance from land.

Beaming, she felt the tingling sensation of excitement pass through her for the millionth time. She had kissed a prince! And a gorgeous one, at that. And he had remembered her voice, something she was very proud of, even though he was knocked out.

_At least he's safe at home now, _she thought, her tail swishing back and forth against the water_. Maybe he's thinking of me right now. _And so Rose closed her eyes and thought of him as well.

...

Let me explain to you something about mermaids. They look just like humans, but from the waist down they have tails, like a dolphins, covered with shiny, colorful scales. I'm sure you know this, how they're much more naturally beautiful than people and they share qualities with many other creatures who lived some of the entire their life in water, such as fish and frogs. They could breathe underwater using flaps of skin found near their ribcages, which sucked water through and used the minerals found in the salty sea to survive, and they had a sticky substance on their finger pads to help them climb through narrow places. Their singing voices had many celestial properties as well, such as calling living creatures to where they were.

Oh, and they only loved once.

When a mermaid finds love, she's captivated by it, and so it grows. And if whoever she loves breaks her heart, she cries herself to a shriveled, depressing being until the sea uses her pools of tears to turn her into sea foam, forever one with the world she grew up in.

This is where Rose's conflict comes in, for she has fallen in love with a human, or, in this case, someone she cannot have. A forbidden love, so to speak. Let's say that if the prince falls in love with her, how could they ever be together? Impossible, right?

Wrong. There's one woman who can help, but her magic is known to be dark and tricky. The sea life called her a witch; not only was she covered with black tentacles, but her powers and potions were known to be like those of a genie's: twisted.

Rose knew of the sea witch, whose name was Valerie. In fact, she was her aunt. Aunt Valerie was forbidden from her family's land centuries ago, for reasons unknown by her. Rose knew of Valerie's black magic, and never thought much of her much…until now.

Rose had been visiting the shores of New York for months, and her heart now felt so light, yet full of love. Every day Jack would be there, sitting in the sand and watching the ocean, as though waiting for her. She would witness his many soliloquies as he questioned the impossible in life, such as who his savior was, and if she was related to the beautiful voice he heard as he lay unconscious.

A couple days after he was saved, he came to the beach reading a newspaper, one which he threw into the sea before plopping down on the sand, full of frustration. Rose managed to catch a few words, such as the title: _MAJOR LOSS OF LIFE. _She read the next few paragraphs before the ink became blurred, and she looked at the prince with compassion as he silently spilled tears.

_He had suffered a great deal,_ Rose thought to herself as she watched Jack one afternoon. He was deep in thought, as she could see. He had survived a horrendous shipwreck, and if it weren't for her, he would've died.

Her father, Triton, had been suspicious of his daughter's behavior for a while. She would sing constantly light and happy notes of songs with lyrics about love, not the world above. The sisters knew of her case, of course, not that any wanted to mention it to the Sea King. They knew he wouldn't approve, though no one knew who she admired so much. Rose was the youngest, after all, and should be monitored regularly, so it frustrated Triton to know that all their careful eyes had looked away during a very significant moment.

_It's getting too far,_ he thought one day as Rose was flouncing and singing, and he became more concerned and angry when he saw her swim away again, to places unknown to him. He just hoped that whatever was wrong with his youngest daughter, it wasn't anything dangerous. As for now, he had to warn the sea witch.

Meanwhile, Rose had gone to her daily trips to the harbor, where she would watch Prince Jack until the sun set in the distance. However, when she watched him that very evening, her heart sunk. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to run, dance, and sing, her toes sinking through the soft sand. She didn't want these fins anymore. She didn't want to be looked at like a burden by her father when she died of heartache for this man.

Her magical aunt Valerie popped up in her mind, and she knew what she had to do. She must see the sea witch before things got out of her control—and before he forgot about her, if that were ever possible, for she was his savior.

She had to be with him, and she'd give up anything for that one granted wish.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: That's right, I'm back! Remember me? I know it's been a while, but guess what? NaNoWriMo is officially over for moi! After reaching 50,000 words, I put aside the novel I'm still finishing and returned to the world of fanfiction. And you wouldn't believe how much I've missed it, like a yen, if you put it that way! (Embrace the new vocabulary!)**

**So, if you love my work and would like to read the current rough draft of my novel that happens to take place on the _Titanic__, _check the link I've posted at the very bottom of my profile. For now, enjoy some _Forbidden Waters, _and then head on over to _Back to Titanic_ which I should be updating in a half an hour or so.**

**By the way, this is dedicated to Snoball. (I extremely apologize for this super long awaited update! I was planning to have it up sooner, but my schedule got in the way! It's a long story, honestly, but all you probably care about is that this is up and posted!) :)**

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The sea witch Valerie lived in quite a cold, dark place. The rocks were draped in shadows, their pointed tips rising above Rose's head like sharp knives. As she flapped her tail around slowly, the horrible feeling arising in her throat, she took in her surroundings, and the gloominess of it all.

As for the sand at the bottom, it was black. _Black sand?_ Rose thought, swimming down to touch it. However, when she scooped a bit in her palm to study it, her fingers stung before she could do so, and she yelped and shook it off. The tiny grains floated down back to the sea floor, glowing a malicious burning blood color that was the proof that it had seared off some skin.

_Evil magic. _Shivering despite her temperature-controlling abilities, Rose shuddered, but this time not from the liquid arctic tundra. Skin prickling from fear, she hesitantly turned back around and reluctantly continued to find her away through the gloomy maze of boulders.

"_Rose..._"

The young mermaid stopped dead in her tracks. She wanted to ask who was there, but found her tongue was literally tied. Crossing her eyes to get a better look, she screamed when she saw it was cruelly deformed and looped together in knots. The corner of her green eyes started to spill tears—though unimaginable in water—that crystallized near the burning sand.

"_Come here, child..._"

Rose was unwilling and didn't want to go anywhere near the beckoning voice that was calling her. Suddenly, before her eyes, a dark cavern emerged, as though hidden to those who came with goodness in their hearts, and appears when they turn afraid. Gulping the lump in her throat, she opened her mouth to say something, and stuttered, "W-what do you want?" Then she sighed in relief when she saw her tongue was no longer morphed.

"_You only love once..__,._" the echoing voice said to spread more dread in Rose's naïve heart.

Looking back and forth, Rose was unsure of what she should do. Should be bolt or accept the challenge it took to be with the prince? "Who are you?" she asked more confidently after pondering her reasons for being here, crossing her arms at her chest. She refused to budge until this anonymous voice proclaimed who it was.

"_Come... Come inside...__,_" it beckoned. Rubbing her arms with her hands, Rose took a deep breath and swam forward into the dark hole that could only be the entrance to Valerie's lair.

...

"Where is she?" King Triton bellowed, his deep, rambunctious voice shaking every merman in his presence to the core; it almost melted the merpeople to gooey globs.

"I don't know, Your Majesty," Plato, a very handsome, young merman, confessed, rubbing a large hand connected to a bulging arm through his blond hair.

"Neither do I," added Santus, an old friend of Rose's. He looked dazed by the sea king's anger, and his chestnut-colored locks appeared to stand on end.

"Nor I," piped up Taron, the merman King Triton hoped his youngest daughter would marry someday. He had very gorgeous black hair, and a deep green tail in the shade of Rose's eyes—a sign, the sea king began to believe, superstition becoming more dominant in his life after his dear wife's death years ago.

Triton took a deep, audible sigh, and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "I was expecting she was with one of you."

Each merman blushed a deep shade of red, wishing that the beautiful princess was, indeed, with one of them. "We wish she was, Your Majesty," squeaked Santus, who gulped when what he said processed in his mind; if only, he thought, he could be indifferent about the whole ordeal.

Triton shook his head, ignoring Santus's comment. "Where could she be?" he whispered to himself. The mermen in front of him only shrugged and mumbled incoherently, praying they would be released from the king's fury soon.

After a moment of prolonged silence, the king commanded, waving his gigantic arm with the triton in his hand about, "What are all of you doing just standing there? Find her!"

As soon as he had startled the men out of their wits, they all swam off in different directions in a hurried manner, each one deathly afraid by the king's shaking voice, for a couple of rocks had broken from the ceiling, almost hitting them in the head on their way out of the undersea palace.

...

Meanwhile, Rose was trying to see in the concentrated mass of black nothingness. She felt her way through by using her tail to sense how narrow the tunnel was from above and below, and her hands to help lead the way as she kept them on the rocky, scraping wall. She felt some slime ooze between her fingers, and she tried not to gag as the sticky substance refused to remove itself from her soft skin.

"Hello?" Rose asked, her voice cracked and swallowed up by the darkness. It echoed, and she listened to herself for a few seconds until it faded away. "H-hello...?"

"Oh, there you are."

Alarmed, Rose gasped and turned around, a small light illuminating the room. "But how did you—?"

"The ocean world is full of mysteries, now, isn't it?" Valerie sneered, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. Gesturing to the coral chairs, she put on a discerning smile and said, "Now, why don't you take a seat and we'll get this show on the road, shall we?"

It was the first time Rose had ever seen her aunt. Instead of a tail, she had dark green tentacles that curled around everything in their path. Unlike Rose, who wore a silk cover-up, the sea witch had on a black material she had never seen before in her short, seventeen years. It curled around her figure, shapeless in its own way. Her hair was piled up on her head, a wet-sand brown with gray streaks. And her nails were a terribly long, pointed length, and her eyes a bottomless pit; her pale complexion lit up the room covered in extensive, eerie shadows.

So, of course, Rose was dumbfounded when Valerie, not the least bit perfunctory, welcomed in her in without a single doubt. She had so many things to ask, from why she was here to what the texture of her gown felt like. At that moment, the prince was forgotten. "How... How are you _glowing_?" she finally buzzed, amazed. She reached out her hand to see if this was all real, but was rudely slapped away, streaks appearing on her flawless skin, the outcome of getting scratched with her dagger-like nails.

"You come here for something more important, yes?" Valerie inquired, her tentacles squirming around. Rose's lips curled up in slight disgust at the squirmy things.

When she didn't answer, she put her hands to her heart and said, "For a special boy, am I right? A forbidden love?" She chuckled at Rose's colored cheeks. "Don't be so shy, child. Please—" She waved her hand as a gesture of welcome "—come in!"

Hands shaking, Rose found herself able to agitate her tail and swim past the sea witch. As she did so, she caught a closer look at her eyes and gasped: They were black and bottomless as she thought, but in them reflected the prince she had rescued! Feeling uneasy, she nodded politely at Valerie for her kindness and looked away from her prying face.

Eventually Rose reached a very dim room with bottles of strange things littering the floor. A metal object stood in the center, and when Rose touched it, she felt the cold sensation of the substance spreading across her fingers. "What is this?" she asked, curious. It looked like a type of bowl.

"A cauldron, my dear, "Valerie snapped, as though annoyed. She began to rummage through the bottles and smiled evilly while holding one up. "A love potion is what you need, yes?"

Rose shook her head "no." "I'm sorry, I should've explained my situation before." She held her hands behind her back, and tried to swallow the discomforting sensation rising like bile from her stomach and into her throat.

The corner of Valerie's lips curled up in a knowing smirk. "Don't worry," she hissed, her voice making Rose shudder. "I can do that." And with those words, she snatched up a different bottle and threw it in the supposed cauldron, where a bright light shot out and images, like a movie, began to show.

"Two weeks ago, the infamous ship called the _Titanic _set forth on its maiden voyage," Valerie's commentary started, and Rose watched in fascination at the pictures in the glowing stream of light. "On that ship was the prince of England, also known as John Dawson, Junior. But we all call him Jack."

Rose's heart swelled and tears pricked at her eyes. "Jack...," she whispered, reminiscing his golden boy features.

Valerie's smile turned more malicious the more Rose reacted. "Halfway to its destination, the mighty ship hit an iceberg and sank. With it, nearly fifteen hundred people perished, while only seven hundred survived. But—" Rose dared to look into her eyes, and what she saw was a mysterious sense of knowing "—you saved the prince that night from any sign of death. You swam him to New York, faster than a ship, and brought him to safety in one day, something that should've taken long enough for him to die. Why was it, dear, that you were able to swim so fast? And how was it that he was warm enough to not freeze on the spot?"

Swallowing hard, Rose was, to say the least, uncertain of the predicament. "I'm not quite sure," she replied to the witch's question. "I just knew that I had to get him someplace safe before he died."

Valerie was quiet and didn't respond. Then her voice, a crawling, hollow sound, said, "And what happened because of that?"

As though a spell was cast on her, Rose felt a strangling sensation run up her whole body, and she felt stiff as a board. "I fell in love," she confessed, coming out of her mouth so quickly, she slapped her hand across her mouth.

Grinning, Valerie's colorless lips showed a distasteful sight of yellowed teeth. "Love at first sight, I'm guessing?" Then she laughed, one that sent a shiver down Rose's spine. Discomfort was felt throughout the whole cavern.

And Rose nodded, even through her sudden inflexibility. "I love him, Aunt Valerie."

The sea witch nodded, and put her long-nailed finger to her chin, as though thinking. She then raised her index finger in the air and exclaimed in awe, "I have just the thing for you, my pretty! But first: What is your request?"

Knowing this moment would come, Rose raised her chin in pride and announced, "I would like to have human legs so I could see him. And I would like to go to the surface, only long enough to tell him who I am. He's been looking for me for weeks, Aunt Valerie, he's practically obsessed! Please let me see him."

Valerie nodded. "I have a better idea." A wicked smile spread across her face. "Here, my dear, let me explain what I have to offer you.

"I'll give you a potion that would give you legs for 30 days, you got that? And in those 30 days, you've got to get that prince of yours to kiss you. If not, you'll become like every other lovesick mermaid any way, but the difference is your soul will belong to me… However, there is a price."

Rose's excitement began to fade. "But I don't have anything!" she explained, distraught.

"Oh, don't look so sad! I'm not asking for much. Just..." Valerie's palm gestured to Rose, as though waiting for payment, "...your voice."

Rose's hand flew to her throat, shocked. "My voice? But if I give you my voice—"

Valerie's hand flew in the air, as though dismissing her. "Don't fret about that, my dear! With those looks of yours, he'll be sprawled at your feet before you even know it!" She laughed as though it was some kind of joke, and Rose could already feel the uneasiness spreading throughout her self-consciousness. This already seemed impossible, and it had barely begun!

As Valerie pulled bottles off the floor and threw them in, she continued with her reassuring explanation, "All they care about is a woman who has the sense to keep her mouth shut!" The contents in the cauldron swirled and merged together, the rainbow of colors now mixed into a bright gold. "If you could do that up there, every man would be falling head over heels." Rose swallowed, indeterminate on what to do now. Was she even prepared for something this huge?

"Come on, child. Sign this scroll, and the prince of your dreams will be yours!" Valerie snapped her fingers, and a golden agreement appeared in her hands, a feather pen floating into Rose's hands.

Noticing Rose's hesitance, Valerie's smile faded, and her teeth gritted. She thought she had Rose on the fishing hook, and reeling her in would be easy. Impatient, she snapped, "Come on, you poor, unfortunate soul! _Sign it!_"

And Rose, anger burning up inside her, put the pen to the detached paper and scribbled her name on the signature line. When she did, she felt weightless, and happiness rose inside her: She was going to meet her prince!

Valerie smirked mischievously and rolled up the contract. "Very well." Taking the seashell necklace in her hands, she said, "Sing to me, darling, and you'll be with your princey soon enough."

With a deep, heart-pounding breath, Rose opened her mouth and began to sing in perfect octaves. She watched as a glowing ball of yellow light came out of her ruby red lips, and both of her hands flew to her throat in horror—but no sound came out of her for her to scream! Helplessly, she watched her voice float over to Valerie, whose eyes lit up in sickly exhilaration. The illuminating ball nested in the curly seashell, glowed for a few measly seconds, then gave out in a puff of smoke; the room was the same shade of shadows it had been before.

Smirk smug on her face, Valerie started to chant words Rose had never heard before. All of a sudden, she felt a ripping, searing pain spread through her tail, and she would've cried in fright if her voice hadn't been taken cruelly away. And then, like before she had entered the diabolic grotto, she felt as though she was being strangled, and her hands flew to her sides. Struggling, between her delicate fingers she felt the flaps of skin begin to close, and the natural stickiness fall off her fingerprints.

"What are you doing to me?" Rose wanted to yell. "What's happening?"

Valerie's triumphant laughter echoed throughout Rose's ears, and then she heard her screech, "Swim! Swim, you poor soul!"

Rose wasn't hesitant any longer. She understood what Valerie was saying, and she began to find her way out of the cavernous maze. Barely breathing any more, she found her way out and began to kick to the surface. Her tail still burned, and the shooting pain of being split in half vibrated her, to say the least, naked body.

"Rose?" a familiar voice hesitantly said, and she saw Fin swimming towards her in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere that led to the surface world. Desperate, she frantically pointed to her still splitting tail and placed her hands at her throat in a charade explanation that she could not breathe.

"Oh, Rose. What did you get yourself into?" Fin asked rhetorically, and shook his dolphin head pitifully. He then let Rose take a hold of his back, and he swam as fast as he could to the surface, silently mourning his friend's mindless decision.

* * *

**Reviews are always appreciated! If it weren't for encouragement and constructive criticism, where would this world be? **


	4. Chapter 4

When they appeared at the surface, Rose found herself gulping fresh air through her mouth like she never had to do before. Frantically her hand flew to her throat, where it lingered; she tried to say something, but she couldn't make a sound. It had all been true.

Swimming to shore, a giant wave picked her up and plopped her on the sand where she sat, shivering. She was entranced by her body from the waist down; it was split into two beautiful legs, and her mouth widened in joy. Her eyes sparkled as she played around with her toes, something she'd never experienced before.

Fin watched in the distance as she waved at him and pointed to her feet. He just shook his dolphin head sadly and said, "Good luck, Rose," before disappearing beneath the waves.

Rose was too excited to care about her good friend's melancholy. She quickly stood up and collapsed back on the soft sand, which stuck between her new toes. She then repeated her previous action much more slowly, and found herself standing up, her arms waving pathetically at her sides as she found herself almost toppling over again.

When she caught her balance, she let the grains beneath her feet submerge her legs up to her ankles. _This is so cool!_ she thought, and wiggled her toes in the process. She barely noticed that she was what the humans considered underdressed or, to put it crudely, naked.

_I can dance!_ She began to run as best she could across the shore, but felt a stabbing pain at her feet. _Did I step on something?_ She lifted one of her legs up and took a look at one of the swollen soles, and gasped at the obscene sight.

There was an ugly gash on it that was seeping what appeared to be seaweed-green slime mixed with her metallic blood. It was healing itself faster than any wound should, and she watched in pure fascination and fear as the last of the aches disappeared, her skin impossibly covering the green and bloody spot.

Putting the strange phenomenon in the back of her mind, she took a deep breath and began to dance again, only to feel the pain stab back even more forcefully. This caused her to stumble, and she looked behind her at her stubborn feet and saw gashes on both of them, quickly mending. Anger eating her up, she got up and wished to scream at the nonchalant ocean, "_What did you do to me?_"

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. She huddled up, knees at her chest, and wiped away the wet drops that stained her cheeks. The sea witch knew that she dreamed of dancing, and she had added a cruel twist to her gift of being human: If she danced, her feet would bleed. How terribly warped this all was! Hopefully, her love for the prince would conquer all her pain on losing her aspirations to be a dancer and a singer.

Then her sensitive ears perked up, for she still had some of her mermaid abilities, though she had lost most of them in the spell she had let the sea witch put on her. It was a low-pitch bark, full of excited chirps. Looking up, the pupils in her startled green eyes shrunk to frightful slits, and she could see a very large dog bounding right at her.

But to her, of course, this creature was a terrifying monster instead of the loyal "man's best friend," for she had never seen one before in her entire life.

Scattering up on her unbalanced, wobbly knees, she made a dash to the nearest boulder and climbed up on it, pulling her legs up as close to her body as possible; the dog had caught up to her by then, and its slobbery tongue lolled out of its mouth, panting slightly.

_What an ugly animal! _Rose thought, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. _What could it be? _She reached her hand down to see if it would try to harm her, and she saw its wet, black nose sniff it. Then, it jumped up on its hind legs while putting its front paws on the massive rock where she perched, causing Rose to make a soundless scream. Her heart pounded tremendously hard in her chest, and the new setting made her dizzy and nauseous while in the meanwhile all she wanted to do was scream for help.

The dog cocked its head at her, its expression saying, "Why are you afraid of me?" Rose took this as a better sign, and hesitantly let the large animal snuffle at—was that sweat?—her hand again. When all it did was stand there and pant, she smiled frightfully and scratched it behind the ears. It started to lick her wrists, and if she had her voice she would have giggled as its sloppy tongue spread saliva across her skin. "Good animal," she mouthed, and the previous tension loosened.

"Leopold!" someone called in the distance. The wind picked it up and carried it away from Rose's ears, but they still picked the voice up. She looked up at where she heard it, her every muscle alert at where the sound had come from. What she saw took her breath away.

Her heart melted as she saw her prince running towards her and the pet, his overgrown hair getting in the way of his eyes. Rose loved that about him. She closed her eyes and remembered the many nights she dreamt of him, and how he spoke of her on this dreamy piece of land.

_Rose broke surface as her eyes scanned the sandy shore ahead, water spreading out as ripples against her head. Her shimmery, black pupils dilated as she saw two shadowy figures on the beach, staring out at the ocean, hands in their pockets. Trying to contain her smile, she silently paddled to the nearest rock and hid behind it, her head peeking out by the slightest._

_"I know she's out there, Rick," Jack said in a loud, determined voice. "I've just got to find her." His last words came out in a sorrowful whisper._

_Rose could make out Rick shaking his head sadly. "What you saw isn't real, John. I'm sorry. But it's just not logical that you were on the _Titanic_ and ended up here. It just doesn't add up! I mean—"_

_"She's out there," Jack interrupted, his head in his hands. "I just know she is, okay? She's real. She _has _to be real. I couldn't have been dreaming__.__"_

_Rick patted Jack's back, unconvinced. "All right then, John. Good luck." And he walked off, Rose watching their every move; Jack sat down on the sand as he did every time he visited the beach, and stared out again at the lapping night ocean. _

_"I know you're out there," she heard him say, loud and clear. Rose's eyes popped out of her head; does he really see her? Then her head dropped with disappointment when she realized his soliloquies were a daily process used to cope—and not admit he was losing grip on his sanity. Laying her head against the cold, gritty rock, she stared back at him, thinking pathetically, _Please see me... Please see me...

_The rest of the night turned out to be the two forbidden lovers staring at each other without the one on land knowing she was out there, the withering heart of the girl at sea slowly sinking as the truth settled in her makeshift hole of despair__._

She slowly opened her eyes, as though it was all a dream. But no, it wasn't, for the kind beast was still slobbering over her arm, and she still had legs. _Legs_. How funny of a word! Through her enjoyment, though, she felt some sorrow for leaving her world so suddenly, without awareness to anyone but her dolphin friend Fin, who she had run into by pure chance.

"Leopold! Oh," the prince said, catching up to the two living beings, panting. When he saw Rose, though, the breath caught in his throat, and then his cheeks and neck flushed a deep red. "Uh... Hello."

Rose was absolutely beaming. Even if she did have her voice at that moment, she still would've been speechless. Trying her best to communicate with him, she did a simple wave and mouthed that one word, "Hello." Her other hand continued to scratch Leopold's ears. Her heart was soaring in her chest, and all her previous sorrows were forgotten.

Jack scanned her up and down, wanting to look away. She was naked from the waist down, though her legs were curled up and her long hair covered a lot of skin, anyway. Sighing heavily and pushing his own hair out of his face, he looked deep into her eyes, recognition passing through him.

In his mind, a pictured formed: a lovely maiden leaning over him, her red lips singing a soft melody that was perfectly in-tune. During his delirious state, he swore he saw her glowing a pristine gold hue. Shaking his head, he cleared of the memory, and instead asked, "How'd you get here, miss?"

He slowly began to approach her, as to not frighten her. But for Rose, she was so unafraid at that moment, wanting to run into his arms. Pushing away those embracing thoughts, she bit her lip and shrugged her bare shoulders. How could she explain something so complicated without knowing sign language, or even an easy way to express her sorry tale without a voice? She knew nothing of being mute. In fact, she didn't know of such a thing. _Ever_. As in her whole mer-life.

Jack blinked at her, confused. "Can you speak?"

Eyes turning gloomy, Rose looked away, shaking her head despairingly. How she longed to use her voice at that time, to tell him how much she loved him, as much love as a mermaid could contain. And that was just a delirious passion that made her swoon and be oblivious to her current bare state.

Pity rose in Jack's mind, along with a gashing sadness. _So it can't be her..._ "Can you try to tell me your name?"

Rose's eyes darted around the beach, but she could not find the surface flower that resembled a red rose. Shaking her head a little bit, he saw her big eyes full of wonderment and questions. But before he could take her back to his American home and try to answer them for her, he had to at least find her some—dry?—clothing.

"Do you mind waiting here then, miss, while I go fetch some...uh...proper attire for yourself?" Jack asked kindly.

Nodding her head a bit too ecstatically, Rose was more than just excited for finding her prince, but also for her new legs, her upcoming experiences, and a throbbing love that might come true.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, then," Jack explained, signaling with his hands for her to stay put. Rose saw his gesture and knew it was serious for her to glue herself to the rock. So she sat there on the stone, her long, curly hair glowing red in the afternoon sun.

"Leopold, come here, boy!" Jack called while walking away, whistling a bright tune. Leopold's ears jerked up, and he bounded away from Rose, barking all the way.

Now Rose sighed and waited for Jack, her mind wandering to all that had happened. The prince had found her, but how could she see make him love her? It all sounded so cruel, _to make him_. Didn't he love her as much as she loved him at this time? But then she remembered that he was completely unaware of his savior, other that she was an attractive female with a beautiful singing voice—

Voice! Rose's throat parched, and she let out a silent, strangled sob. How could he love her with no voice? That was the one thing he knew about her, and she didn't have it! Someone else would show up for sure and steal him away, and her soul would end up as the sea witch's forever, her body shriveling up into sea foam right under her disintegrating skin.

Unable to think about it, she closed her eyes tightly and put her hands over her ears, opening her mouth in an urge to scream. Nothing came out, though. And so she tried again, and again, and again, until her worthless vocal chords actually began to hurt. She felt a concerened hand on her wrist, and opened her petrified eyes to look into two pools of crystal blue. "Are you okay?" Jack asked attentively, distress for her well-being shown in his light irises and the furrow of his brow.

Rose nodded and shyly tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. He held a simple white dress on his arm, and gave it to her, respectfully looking away. She spread it out in front of her and looked at it curiously. Never had she seen something so... Well, _uncomfortable_.

Jack noticed her hesitance and uncertainty, and explained, "It's a dress. Just pull it over your head, but be sure to remove your, uh, wet garment. We'll get you washed up and warm at my place." He then proceeded looking away, his hands in his pockets, eyes staring anxiously at the ocean.

Rose removed her pure silk cover and slipped on the crisp dress, feeling the freshness of the cloth against her pale skin. She then touched Jack's shoulder lightly, and felt an electric shock make her spine shiver; it was a good feeling that made her smile obsessively.

Turning around, his eyes caught with hers. He didn't say anything for a few minutes; and neither did Rose. They were totally wrapped up in each other's presence. "You ready to go?" he finally murmured, breaking their gaze. Rose nodded, lightheaded, and let him lead her across the sand.

"I don't mean to pry, but do I know you?" he interrogated reluctantly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck embarrassingly.

Rose didn't know how to answer, so she just shrugged her shoulders again. She heard Jack laugh, and she blushed in humiliation. "I'm John, by the way," he chuckled, giving her his hand. "But you can call me Jack."

As she took his hand, the meaning of his words processed in his aristocratic mind, and he exclaimed contritely, "Oh! I didn't mean to offend you or anything. It's just the slip of the tongue, that's all."

Silently, Rose laughed at his ashamed reaction. She took his hand and squeezed it, and when he looked up she mouthed, "It's all right."

After a few minutes, they were off the beach and on to a small road. They were passing by a large, flourishing garden when Jack said, "Can you try to tell me your name again?"

A garden, blooming with flowers. Rose's eyes darted across the many bushes, and then caught a large shrub thriving with red, pink, and white petals. She grinned at the beauty of it, and walked over, picking a juicy crimson one off its stem. She then showed it to Jack in her soft palm.

"Rose?" he questioned, looking her straight in the eye to see if he got it right, though it wasn't a hard guess. She could only nod enthusiastically.

"Rose," she said with her lips, but not her throat. Sadly to admit, she was getting used to no sound.

"It's nice to meet you, Rose," Jack said, his smile making Rose's delicate heart melt.

She let him tuck the red rose into her hair before proceeding to the mansion house, not noticing his hand was in hers until her prior contemplations disappeared from her eyes, and her pleased expression enlivened.


	5. Chapter 5

Through a misty ball of some unknown, clear substance, Valerie watched as the two set off into the distance, practically hand in hand. Her jaw clenched dangerously, her sharp teeth piercing her bottom gum; and her long, claw-like fingernails tapped impatiently on the rim of the basin. She tried to stop her tongue from clucking, due to pure annoyance and fury, but found it nearly impossible pertaining to the sight.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to think of a solution, her fingers placed on her throbbing forehead. _Why_ had she given that miserable mermaid thirty days to know that gorgeous prince? A sneer appeared on her face and she chuckled softly. _Don't tell me you're getting all soft-hearted, Valerie._

Righting her posture, she cracked her knuckles and started to chant a witch's hymn. It made the foggy mist swirl around and form a new, darker body that radiated a putrid, bitter odor that could only mean something deadly. She put her hands together and clicked her nails maliciously. _If this doesn't work, then I don't know what would._

Valerie watched as the black cloud dissipated and turned lucid again, and a beautiful woman in a thin white dress appeared on the beach; her glass-like eyes widened in satisfaction, and one corner of her lips turned up in a very wicked way.

She brought up her sharp arm and slashed through the fog, which spread out in all directions and disappeared. An evil laugh escaped her lips as she contently snatched a bloody heart from a shelf, watching it pump squeamishly in her hand. Then, with a quick, snapping motion, she squashed the living organ and watched as blood mixed with the wicked water around her in an absolutely atrocious manner.

...

The young woman felt her head begin to stir, and found herself on a sandy beach in a breezy dress. After her eyes stopped seeing double, she picked herself up and anxiously looked around her. _Where am I?_ she thought, glancing around at the sandy shore and beating sun.

The last time she had seen anything interesting, she was with her sister in France, trying to talk her out of a marriage to a human. "You don't understand, Cordelia!" she had pleaded, grabbing her sibling's pale arm with much force. "You're not one of them!"

Cordelia had only blinked at her sister and quickly averted her eyes. She pulled her arm away viciously, and snapped, "You know what, Marina, you don't understand anything at this moment! I may not be human by birth, but I am now one... Remember? The sea witch? She gave me a week, and if he asked me to marry him, then I would remain a human forever..."

Marina had sadly shaken her head. "Sister, don't you understand? She's a _sea witch_. These land creatures would call someone like her a genie. She's a trickster, don't you see? There's got to be some trap to this, Cordelia, and I don't like it..."

Instead of listening to her concern, Cordelia had proudly showed off the diamond ring on her left hand. "Look at this, Marina. It's an _engagement_ ring. And it was Adam who proposed to me, like the sea witch promised..." And she had walked away, leaving her sister sputtering for the right words.

Then, Marina had felt a stabbing pain in her heart, and she fell, convulsing, to the floor. She watched as her legs began to tremor in a horrific seizure as they tried to find water to combust with so she could return to her original state. Marina gasped in terror and pain as they began to bleed and shake even more. The breath was knocked out of her, and she slumped back down on the floor, tears pouring out of her eyes. "Time's up," a malicious voice whispered in her pounding skull, and all daylight had been erased from her eyes.

That was two years ago. Since then, Marina had been living in a world of darkness, weeping for her star-crossed sister.

As one can see, this wasn't the first time the dreadful sea witch had tricked someone. A couple years ago, a young mermaid named Cordelia, who possessed the most beautiful golden locks, had fallen in love with a sailor named Adam. To be with him, she had chopped off her hair and transformed into a human. She had a week to receive a marriage proposal, but Marina, knowing of the witch's reputation, went to the sea witch and begged to correct her sister's ways. For that, she had given up the ability to feel emotion on land. As a human, everything she did was done with no feeling. She didn't need to sorry, for she didn't feel guilty; she didn't laugh, because she found nothing funny.

After tracking down her sister, she had pleaded her, with no emotion on her straight face, to give up. By that time, though, the three days the witch had granted her had finished, and she never figured out if anything had happened to her dear Cordelia.

Now here she was, back on land, a rush of sensations surrounding her. Tears pricked her eyes, and she watched her newly-formed legs and realized she missed seeing her bright green tail. In fact, she had missed seeing everything. For two years, she had seen nothing but blackness.

In other words, the witch had, unlike Rose's fate, taken Marina's soul.

_But why am I back here? Why on land, instead of where I belong? _And she looked at the see longingly, wondering what had ever happened to her family. _They must be heartbroken... I never returned..._

Marina shakily stood up, her black curls whipping around her shoulders. The apparel she wore was very thin, and she shook uncontrollably even with the shining sun.

From far away, she could see two heads disappearing in the distance. Other than that, there wasn't a soul in sight.

She felt like crying again, but began to bite her nails instead. _Where am I? What do I do?_

Right when the tears were about to burst, she felt a stabbing pain in her heart. She crumpled to the sand, her face limply digging in the dirt. She wanted to sob just because of the pieces of sharp sand scrubbing her skin; she had absolutely no control over her body. _This is torture! _she screamed with dreadful thoughts swirling in her mind.

All of a sudden, her sobbing stopped, and she found herself able to move again. Looking up at the sea, she saw her face and hair were covered in scratchy grains. Her eyes, once a crystal blue, were now black, bottomless pits, and her eyebrows were furrowed, slowly trying to process what had happened.

Then it all came rushing back to her. In her mind and heart, she saw herself talking to a handsome young man with dirty-blond hair and sympathetic blue eyes, countlessly trying to hold his hand or say something with love. But those humiliating moments were replaced with jealously and anger as she saw him with that beautiful redhead.

She quickly got up and started to sprint down the beach, adrenaline rushing through her every vein.

If one was wondering, none of this ever happened to Marina. When Valerie had cast her spell, she had used a soul she had captured in the past and put her on the beach. She had then used the pounding heart to make Marina's mind see things she had never experienced before. The witch was hoping her plan would work: Marina would steal Prince Jack from Rose when the thirty days were up.

Oh, how ignorant she was on how love worked.

...

Meanwhile, Jack had led Rose to where he lived with his mother in New York. It was a large house in a suburban area with acres of land in the back, covered with gardens. Rose stopped and gaped at the wondrous beauty of the blooming flowers. Her eyes beamed and mouth dropped open in utter disbelief. Never before had she seen something so elegant, so lavish!

Jack noticed she had stopped and looked at where she was staring. "Do you like flowers?" he asked, and Rose nodded enthusiastically. Of course, she had seen many kinds of sea plants, but never something like this that grew in the land.

He gave her his hand and smiled. "Here, let me show you our garden." Gratefully Rose took it, her own hand shaking with nerves while her stomach bundled up, and a blush crept up her pale neck.

One must know that Prince Jack was not showing Rose any kind of affectionate, loving feeling to her. At that time, he was only acting friendly since Rose could not speak, and he wished to not sound rude or any other kind of offensive sort.

Though, with his charming ways, it was practically impossible for Prince John to be insulting.

Just as they were about to enter the garden, the two heard someone's voice in the distance. "John!" it echoed. "Oh, Prince John!"

Marina rounded the corner, breathing heavily. Her heart leapt when she saw Jack, astounded and slightly confused, and a smile appeared on her tired face. "Oh, John!" she exclaimed, and ran towards him.

Deep down in Jack's heart, he knew he had never met this woman before. Yet, he did, and he couldn't control what came out of his mouth. "Marina?" he said in disbelief, a welcoming grin creeping on to his face as she came closer—and that's when he remembered everything about Marina.

As the witch's spell took hold over the friends, Rose's heart collapsed and almost shattered in a million pieces. _There's someone else?_ she cried to herself. In fact, that's what she wanted to do at that moment: cry. Maybe her tears could heal her broken heart and dreams.

She watched enviously as Marina took Jack in a hug. "Oh, John. It's been ages! How have you been?" With her dark eyes she observed Rose carefully, examining her for any visible weakness.

Meanwhile, Rose stood there, looking cowardly and hurt as Marina smiled triumphantly. _This is going to be easy, _she thought.

"I've been great! How about you?" Jack replied, and Rose could feel the stinging of heartbreak in her eyes. _Why did I ever think he could've loved me? I don't even have a voice!_ A pitiful gulp slithered down her throat. She had to look away from Marina's piercing gaze, afraid she would break down and look feeble and frail in front of her unanticipated competition.

Marina pulled away and smiled widely at him. "Oh, same old, same old! I'm so glad I've caught you while you were in town!"

Jack scoffed. It had been two summers since he had seen this girl! He remembered their endless conversations, their close bond of friendship. God, he had missed her these last couple of years.

And Rose watched, defeated, as they talked and laughed, and she had never felt so ignored. Anger filled in her throat, and she wished she could've screamed at her, but when she tried, nothing came up but a compassionate squeak.

Once the horrible noise escaped Rose's mouth, Jack and Marina shot her a confused glance. She looked at them both, suddenly feeling not so well, and she headed to the house in a hurry, everything inside her cowardly moving away from their stares.

When she heard their chatter start up again, hesitant at first, but then more comfortable, she started a run and let the tears fall down her cheeks.

_I should've known! _she thought as she jerked the door open and found the nearest bathroom, locking the door and falling to the floor, her back against the wall. _I should've known..._


End file.
